Sensory over-responsivity and social cognition in ASD: Effects of aversive sensory stimuli and attentional modulation on neural responses to social cues

• Published in: Developmental cognitive neuroscience 2018-01, Vol.29, p.127-139
• Main Authors: Green, Shulamite A., Hernandez, Leanna M., Bowman, Hilary C., Bookheimer, Susan Y., Dapretto, Mirella
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Autism; fMRI; Sensory over-responsivity; Social cognition
• ISSN: 1878-9293; 1878-9307
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.02.005

•fMRI was used to examine the brain mechanisms through which tactile stimuli disrupt processing of social cues in youth with ASD.•Tactile stimuli caused up-regulation of auditory language areas in TD youth but decreases in these areas in ASD youth.•Directing attention to social cues mitigated the effect of the sensory distracter so that activation was sustained in auditory-language areas.•Attentional direction to social cues was associated with increases in medial prefrontal cortex for ASD youth.•Severity of sensory over-responsivity modulated the effect of the distracter and attentional direction on brain processing of social cues. Sensory over-responsivity (SOR) is a common condition in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that is associated with greater social impairment. However, the mechanisms through which sensory stimuli may affect social functioning are not well understood. This study used fMRI to examine brain activity while interpreting communicative intent in 15 high-functioning youth with ASD and 16 age- and IQ-matched typically-developing (TD) controls. Participants completed the task with and without a tactile sensory distracter, and with and without instructions directing their attention to relevant social cues. When completing the task in the presence of the sensory distracter, TD youth showed increased activity in auditory language and frontal regions whereas ASD youth showed decreased activation in these areas. Instructions mitigated this effect such that ASD youth did not decrease activation during tactile stimulation; instead, the ASD group showed increased medial prefrontal activity. SOR severity modulated the effect of the tactile stimulus on social processing. Results demonstrate for the first time a neural mechanism through which sensory stimuli cause disruption of social cognition, and that attentional modulation can restore neural processing of social cues through prefrontal regulation. Findings have implications for novel, integrative interventions that incorporate attentional directives to target both sensory and social symptoms.